A three-dimensional (3-D) display is a display that enhances viewer perception of depth by stimulating stereopsis, motion parallax, or both. Stereopsis provides different images to the two eyes, such that retinal disparity indicates simulated depth. Motion parallax changes the images viewed by the eyes as a function of the position of the eyes, again such that simulated depth is indicated.
3-D displays are useful for many applications including vision research, operation of remote devices, medical imaging, surgical training, scientific visualization, virtual prototyping, and more. These 3-D displays typically render a light-field to a viewer that includes a 3-D scene or image. For example, a surgical training application may render a 3-D light-field that includes a particular part of the anatomy.
In many of these applications, it is useful to render a faithful impression of the 3-D structure of the portrayed object in the light-field. However, 3-D displays often yield distortions in a perceived light-field compared with the actual light-field that the 3-D display purports to represent. A cause of the distortions is that computer displays typically present images on one surface. For example, a typical computer display is a monitor having a flat display surface. A 3-D light-field is generated by illumination from the surface of the monitor. In order to view the light-field, the user focuses on the surface of the monitor, rather than at the depths of the virtual objects portrayed by the light-field. Thus, focus cues in the 3-D light-field displayed on the monitor specify the depth of the monitor, rather than depths in the depicted scene.